Student's challenge!

Adventure Service Challenge is a three-fold scheme of activity for young people aged 8 to 14 years and beyond.

The ASC scheme is designed to prepare young people for the Duke of Edinburgh's Award. In fact, the DofE Award HQ recommends ASC for that purpose.

Woodlands Academy have students taking part in the ASC Senior Stages 1 and 2 (aimed at 11 to 14+). Each stage comprises 8 activities. The Senior Group Activities for the various stages are as follows:-

Across the last two terms, Woodlands Academy students have completed their cooking challenge, navigational challenge and a bikeability course.

Cooking Challenge

Year 8 students were split into two groups, each group had to plan, prepare and cook a three course meal to feed 8 people. The challenge targeted teamwork, independence, communication, commitment and organizational skills rather than their kitchen skills.

Both groups did extremely well and produced a delicious 3 course meal that Gordon Ramsey would have been proud of.

Navigational Challenge

The group completed a six hour navigational walk around Lincolnshire during Term 4. Navigating is a skill that needs achieving to able the pupils to pass the course. In every walk they do, students were provided with a route and given opportunities to lead, follow and work with staff along the route. At some point during the walk, staff worked with each pupil to help them understand whereabouts they were on the map using landmarks and how to follow the next leg of the walk.

The students are making excellent progress with their fitness, confidence and social skills and this will be further challenged next term when the group have to complete a 2 night camping residential in the peak district!

Bikeability

One objective of the course was to cover The Highway Code so the students achieved this by participating in levels 1 and 2 of the Bikeability course.

Level 1 covered: Bike safety checks, getting on and off a bike safely, starting and stopping safely, using gears and brakes effectively and the look, signal and manoeuvre process.

Level 2 covered: Minor road manoeuvres, passing a parked car, U turn in the road, passing a junction, turning left into and out of a junction, and turning right into and out of a junction.

The group did extremely well with all of the students passing level one and the majority of the group passing level two, good effort boys!